In this post: The three essays side by side, a four-step method for picking the key features in a table, a rewrite of the underground essay, and sentence patterns with a checklist.
Table Samples · 3 parts
- 1. The verdict and Band 6.5 essay
- 2. Two Band 7 essays
- 3. Picking key data, rewrite, checklist (you are here)
✦ In this post
5. The three essays side by side: how to pick the key features in a table
Back to the question I asked at the time: with so many numbers in a table, how do you decide which ones matter? Looking at the three essays together, I put together a four-step method.
| Step | The question to ask yourself | The answer for the underground table |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find the extremes | Which is the biggest and smallest in each column? | Oldest and longest: London; busiest: Tokyo; shortest and quietest: Kyoto |
| 2. Find exceptions and gaps | Does any row rank very differently in different columns? | London is 1st for length but 3rd for passengers; Tokyo is 3rd for length but 1st for passengers |
| 3. Find groups | Can the rows be split into groups? | Three big systems opened before 1930 vs three small systems opened after 1970 |
| 4. Decide the paragraphs | Paragraph by group or by column? | By group, so every city gets mentioned |
Looking back at the three essays with this method:
- The underground essay only did step 1, so it has extremes but no gaps and no groups, which is also why Washington went missing.
- The Fairtrade essay grouped by direction (rising, falling) but not by size (the UK vs the other four countries), so the overview lacks the biggest feature.
- The satisfaction essay grouped the data (the two well-liked facilities vs the cafeteria) and started summarising small numbers with ranges, but it did not finish step 2: the gap showing postgraduates’ particular dissatisfaction with the cafeteria was not highlighted.
How to organise the paragraphs for a table
| Paragraph plan | When it works | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| One column per paragraph | Two or three columns with no obvious link between them | Easily becomes three separate lists that miss the rows in the middle |
| One group per paragraph (grouping rows) | The rows fall clearly into two or three groups | Make sure each topic sentence states what the group has in common |
| One table per paragraph | The task gives two tables (for example, coffee and bananas) | Remember to compare across the tables in the overview or within the paragraphs |
6. Rewrite: the underground essay’s overview and body, redone
I chose the underground essay for this demonstration because it shows the difference “picking key features” makes more clearly than the others. The passages labelled “Rewrite” are new versions I wrote while putting this post together, organised with the four steps above.
Rewrite | Introduction + overview
The table compares the underground railway systems in six cities in terms of their opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger numbers.
Overall, London’s underground is the oldest and by far the longest, whereas Tokyo’s carries the largest number of passengers. It is also clear that the three systems opened after 1970 are much less used than the three older ones.
What changed: the first sentence keeps the correct extremes from the original (London oldest and longest, Tokyo busiest), but uses whereas to set them against each other, hinting that the longest is not the busiest. The second sentence is replaced with a conclusion about groups: the three systems opened after 1970 (Washington, Kyoto and Los Angeles) carry far fewer passengers than the three older ones. That way, Washington is covered from the start.
Rewrite | Body 1 (the three older systems)
The three oldest systems, in London, Paris and Tokyo, all opened between 1863 and 1927 and are also the three busiest. Tokyo’s network is used by 1,927 million passengers a year, followed by Paris with 1,191 million. Interestingly, although London has the longest route, at 394 kilometres, it carries only 775 million passengers, fewer than both Paris and Tokyo, whose networks are much shorter, at 199 and 155 kilometres respectively.
What changed: instead of one column per paragraph, the three older systems share one paragraph that covers opening year, length and passengers together. The topic sentence first explains why they belong together (oldest and also busiest), then the most important gap follows: London is the longest but not the busiest. London’s passenger figure of 775 million, skipped in the original, is now included, and so is Tokyo’s length of 155 km.
The other body paragraph covers the three newer systems: Washington opened in 1976 and has 126 km of route and 144 million passengers a year, so although its network is almost as long as Tokyo’s, it carries less than a tenth as many passengers; Kyoto (1981, 11 km, 45 million passengers) and Los Angeles (2001, 28 km, 50 million) are even smaller. With both paragraphs written, almost all eighteen figures for the six cities are used, but it doesn’t read like a list, because every number supports a comparison.
7. Sentence patterns and a checklist to take away
Useful sentence patterns for tables
| Purpose | Sentence frame | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gap across columns | Although A has the longest …, it carries only …, fewer than B. | The most valuable sentence in a table essay |
| Group topic sentence | The three oldest systems, in A, B and C, are also the three busiest. | The topic sentence explains why the rows are grouped |
| Summarising small figures | No more than 10% of respondents were dissatisfied. | Use when figures are small and close together |
| Range | The figures ranged from [x] in A to [y] in B. | Replaces listing every number |
| Size | A’s sales were more than three times those of B. | Don’t just give the direction of change |
| Overtaking | Although B led in 1999, A had overtaken it by 2004. | Useful for tables with two years |
| Multiples | The proportion for A (35%) was more than double that for B (15%). | Don’t dismiss it with “slightly” |
✓ Self-check list
- ☐ Every row (city, country, group) appears at least once in the essay
- ☐ The overview gives not just the direction (up or down) but also the size (who is far ahead)
- ☐ You have looked for a row that ranks very differently across columns, and written that gap into the body
- ☐ Your paragraph plan has a reason, and each topic sentence says why those rows are together
- ☐ Small, close figures are summarised with a range or a limit (no more than, ranged from)
- ☐ Units are right: millions of euros, millions of passengers, percentages; never “6 million coffee”
- ☐ Present tense for a table with no time reference, past tense for one with years
- ☐ more than, at least and nearly match the actual figures
Practice
- Use the four steps in section 5 to rewrite the Fairtrade essay’s overview as two sentences: one on direction, one on size.
- Add a sentence to the satisfaction essay’s overview contrasting postgraduates’ dissatisfaction with the cafeteria, and replace the trend changed slightly with a correct comparison.
- Pick any table question and give yourself three minutes to do one thing only: circle the extremes in each column, then find the row with the biggest ranking gap. Only then start writing.
When I asked “how do I pick the important data?”, the satisfaction essay three weeks later already showed part of the answer: summarise numbers that are close together, and compare the groups. Looking back now, the final piece of the puzzle is the gap across columns. A table question is not asking you to translate the table into English. It is asking you to tell the examiner what is most worth noticing in it.
Further reading
- My review of tutor Ali: streamlining my essay structure (400 → 300 words) (in Chinese)
- How to check your IELTS sub-scores (in Chinese)
- My successful IDP re-mark (in Chinese)
- Farid, a former examiner: live feedback on Speaking and Writing (in Chinese)
- All my IELTS preparation notes (in Chinese)
This is the last part of “Table Samples”. To start again, go back to Part 1.
IELTS Notes in English · Band Score Samples (post 4 of 19)
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Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips
✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
← Back to IELTS notes in English
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